Sonder
by lrbworks
Summary: Fiore Academy, located in the heart of the capital city Crocus, is one of the best schools in Fiore. There are only two ways to get accepted: having extraordinary talents or paying a great deal of money. After getting accepted, Lucy Heartfilia inadvertently befriends an exhibitionist and a bookworm, butts heads with a pink-haired lone wolf, and realizes she may be in over her head.
1. Chapter 1

_**I do not own any of the characters nor do I own Fairy Tail. I only own the plot. All rights go to Hiro Mashima.**_

* * *

 _sonder (n.) the realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own._

* * *

Lucy jumped when her locker was forced shut, nearly breaking her fingers in the process; luckily, she had quick reflexes.

"So, _Blondie_ ," came the wicked voice of Flare Corona. The girl had been glaring daggers at Lucy ever since she set foot inside the school – in spite of the fact that it was Lucy's _first_ day – and Lucy had just been waiting for her to finally say something. "How much did your daddy pay for you to enroll into Fiore Academy?"

A fierce brown-eyed glare turned on Flare. "My father didn't pay anything," Lucy gritted out, hugging her books to her chest. There was a lapse of silence in the conversation, prompting her to ask, "Is that it?"

"I don't believe you," Flare scoffed immediately afterwards, not missing a beat. "There's no way an air-headed tramp like you could get _accepted_."

Lucy's frown only deepened as she adjusted her backpack strap. There was no justification for Flare's rudeness – although Lucy could understand why people assumed she paid. Heartfilia _was_ a well-known name across the country. Still, though, everybody looked down on her all day because nobody had actually _paid_ to get into the school in years – and that fact remains.

"Well, I did," she shrugged, trying not to let Flare's words bother her. "If you're done, I need to go."

"Go where? Home to cry to daddy?"

"To lunch," Lucy responded, walking around her. She could feel the stares on her back as she walked by other students, her head ducked down as her face flushed red. It was overwhelming, coming to school at which the wealthy were looked down upon. Nobody really talked to her all day without making some scathing remark about her family – aside from the teachers, of course, and a boy in a few of her classes name Gray – and she found herself wishing she had changed her name on her files like she considered beforehand.

So, quickly, she escaped to the restrooms, anxiously running a hand through her hair. Immediately her backpack and books were discarded onto the sink, her hands bracing on the counter as she glared at her reflection.

"This is nothing," she reminded herself, drawing in a sharp breath. "These are a bunch of stupid kids who are quick to jump to conclusions. I've dealt with so much worse." Eyes drifting shut, she thought back, remembering the warmth that was so suddenly taken from her – and then she heard it.

Coming from one of the stalls was light sniffling and hiccuping, like someone was trying to keep their crying muffled. Her eyes opened and drifted towards the reflection of the stalls in the mirror, where two feet peeked out from under one of them.

Cautiously, she tiptoed towards the stall, knocking twice. "Are you okay?"

It took a moment for the other person to respond. "Y-Yeah!"

"You can talk to me," Lucy suggested, glancing behind her. "I promise I'll listen – and nobody else is in here."

For a few seconds, Lucy received no words, and she contemplated whether or not to leave whoever was behind the door alone. Then the lock shifted and a short blue-haired girl shuffled out from behind the door, her gaze downcast. "Thank you," she sniffed, rubbing the tears away from her eyes. "I'm Levy."

 _Levy McGarden?_ Lucy pondered. That was the girl her headmaster told her to contact when she was having trouble getting around the school. Lucy smiled, offering a hand for the other to shake. "I'm Lucy. Today's my first day here."

"Your first day? It's your first day and you had to find me in the bathroom _crying_?" Levy said disbelievingly, but still, she shook Lucy's hand.

"It's fine," Lucy laughed, lifting herself onto the sink counter. Levy hesitantly sat opposite of her, knees pulled to her chest. "Tell me what's wrong."

Levy's brow furrowed, her lip sticking out in a pout as she debated on whether or not to spew her personal life. "That stupid Gajeel!" she burst, hands balling into dainty fists.

"Gajeel…" Lucy trailed off. The name sounded vaguely familiar, so she assumed he must have been in one of her classes. "What happened?"

Nobody could have missed the way Levy's cheeks burned a dark red – and Levy knew this by the look in Lucy's eyes. "H–He _knows_ how I feel – I _told_ him – and he just… he _laughed_ at me!"

Lucy bit her tongue. Not only had she only had one relationship (which ended with, in short, the flames of hell erupting around her), but her streak of helpful relationship advice was marked with a big fat _0_. "Did he say anything?" It was an innocent question, but–

"No! He just laughed and he kept laughing until I walked away!" Her tears disappeared, replaced by a bitter and indignant expression. "He yelled after me with the _stupid_ nickname he gave me, _Shrimp_ , but I ignored him. He's so… _stupid!"_

Lucy hugged her own knees to her chest, her stomach grumbling. It was lunch break, she realized, so she was missing her eating time. "I think you should talk to him again," she admitted, pulling a bento lunch from her bag. It was wrapped with a cute pink napkin, and the lunch inside was simple (but Lucy took pride in how delicious her cooking was). "By the way you said it, it seemed like he wanted to say something…" Quietly, her voice trailed off, a knowing smirk on her face as she nudged the lunch towards Levy. _Want some?_

Levy sputtered for a moment, steam exiting her ears as her face reddened further. "I guess," she mumbled into her arms, before carefully extending a hand to grab a bit of food. As she popped it into her mouth, her eyes settled just above Lucy's chest, eyebrows scrunching together. There resided the pendant of a golden necklace. "You're part of Fairy Tail?!"

Although all of Fiore Academy interacted, it was divided into different groups: some being Fairy Tail, Sabetooth, Lamia Scale, and Blue Pegasus. There were others as well, too many to name, but those were some of the most vast. Each respective group had its own dormitory building on campus, and everybody had a roommate (Lucy's roommate had yet to be decided as she had arrived that morning and arrangements were still being made, so her belongings were sitting in the office, waiting for a home). Besides that, when competitions, events, or anything of the sort were held, each group was its own team.

Lucy picked Fairy Tail because not only had it been recommend by someone who had previously attended the school, but because she had met the headmaster Makarov Dreyar before anybody else.

"Yeah," she nodded, fingers instinctively toying with the necklace. Everybody who was part of the groups had something to represent it in some way; many people went as far as tattoos.

"Me too!" Levy leaned forward excitedly, her eyes practically sparkling. It appeared the topic of Gajeel was suddenly forgotten. "Who's your roommate?"

"I don't have one yet," Lucy sighed, eating a large bite of salted salmon. "The paperwork got mixed up so they're arranging it some time today."

"Be my roommate!" Levy insisted. "I haven't had one in _years_!"

Her enthusiasm startled Lucy, causing her to nearly cough up her food. "A-Are you sure?"

"Yeah! You're on lunch break, right?!" Lucy nodded quickly, scrambling to gather her books. "Bring your lunch and let's go to the office before they assign you to a different room!"

* * *

By the time the sky was painted a deep blue, twinkling, Lucy was happily settled into her shared room with Levy. All of her things had been unpacked and her homework finished, so now she was washing her face, a towel wrapped around her body and her hair piled into a messy bun.

"I still can't believe the dorms aren't organized by gender," Lucy called back to her roommate, who was dressed in a moderately scanty nightgown and was occupied with a thick novel. All her life, she had been raised to believe that boys and girls were practically two separate species that should be divided and have different privileges, and even though she strongly disagreed with everything taught to her, it was still astonishing to see people breaking the gender boundaries.

"The school doesn't want to confine anyone to a gender," Levy shrugged nonchalantly. "They want to take into account people who don't really _have_ specific genders, too, or people who don't have one within the gender binary."

She had not even considered that. "That makes sense," Lucy nodded, wiping the last bit of soap from her skin. A toothbrush was shoved into her mouth and she worked to clean her teeth as she chatted with Levy. "Are the other people in Fairy Tail nice? I've only really talked to you and Gray."

"They're nice," Levy hesitated, setting her book down. "We used to be a lot closer. A lot of us have been here since we were kids – no parents, lots of talent. The sense of family is still there, I guess. We defend each other, but the relationships between us are kind of… estranged. There's not much Fairy Tail pride anymore."

The upset tone in Levy's voice made Lucy's heart drop to her stomach. It hurt her to hear someone so sweet and willingly helpful sound so sad.

"Well, maybe–" she began, but her voice was cut off by a blaring alarm.

She thought she heard Levy mutter something under her breath before climbing to her feet, gesturing for Lucy to follow. "Come on, that's the fire alarm!"

"Can't I at least get dressed?!" Lucy wailed as Levy tugged her along, barely able to hold her towel up. "And fire alarm?! There's a fire?"

"It happens a lot," Levy laughed, walking next to Lucy. Most people were dressed in pajamas, but Lucy and Levy seemed to be the only ones who were showing lots of skin.

 _Awesome._

"So this is a normal thing?" Lucy questioned, confusion and bewilderment mingling on her face. Nobody around her looked the least beat worried – actually, they looked very tired and irritable, every mumbling something or another.

"Yeah. Natsu starts a lot of fires." The casual tone of her voice just made Lucy cringe more than she already had. "You get used to it."

"Stupid flame brain!" Gray sneered, pulling a pink-haired boy from the room next to Lucy's – the room that happened to be filled with flames and smoke. He dragged him by the collar down the stairs, a blue cat prancing by his feet without a care in the world, and threw him onto the concrete ground when they reached the bottom step. "Stop trying to burn the building down, idiot!"

Gray was clad in nothing but a pair of boxer briefs, and the guy Lucy assumed to be Natsu was wearing a pair of baggy pants. He glared defiantly up at Gray before jumping to his feet, pushing him backwards. "Don't tell me what to do, ya stupid stripper!"

"You wanna fight, pyro?" Gray snarled.

"You bet!"

There was an unspoken tension between them that Lucy could _feel_. Aside from the obvious verbal attacks, the way they glared at each other and stood rigidly told Lucy that something had happened with them in the past – something that constructed a thick wall between them. It may have been from experience or from all of those psychology classes she had taken, but she could read people well – and they were no exception.

"Shut up!" boomed a blonde boy with a scar marking the right side of his face. He kicked the boys hard enough that they landed at Lucy's feet in a jumble of flailing limbs, and Lucy stepped backwards, squeezing herself as close to Levy as possible.

So not only was Lucy clothed in a towel and Levy in a barely-there nightgown, but Gray was half-naked and Natsu lacked a shirt. _Even better,_ Lucy thought bitterly, tugging the fluffy white towel tighter around her body uncomfortably. The whole of Fairy Tail was getting a view of her where little was left to the imagination – a wonderful first impression, alongside the rumor that her father had paid for her be able to attend.

"Oh, hey, Lucy," Gray greeted once he was on his feet, his eyes dropping to her body for a split second before they returned to her face. His cheeks were tinted slightly, which made Lucy herself flustered. "How was… the rest of your first day?"

"It was awesome," she huffed, the sarcasm in her tone hidden but still somewhat blatant. Her especially favorite part was last period, during which she got called a " _talentless blonde bimbo who uses her daddy's money to get whatever she wants._ "

Gray opened his mouth to say something, but the words never left.

Instead, he was interrupted by a shout. "Is that the new girl?!" It was a tall brunette and Lucy was awe-stricken by how attractive she was: pure model material, really. She wore a bikini top and capri pants, seeming unbothered by how much skin she exposed – and she was standing in front of Lucy, pushing Gray out of the way. "Whoa, you really _are_ hot!"

Lucy's cheeks were aflame in an instant and she wanted nothing more than to clothe her body because now Cana had drawn more attention to them. "Thanks…?" she trailed off quietly.

"I'm Cana Alberona," she grinned hazily, and that was when Lucy noted the slightly pink cheeks and the alcohol on her breath. She was _drunk –_ and it was even worse when she stepped closer, her nose touching Lucy's. "You know, they told me you had big ones, but I thought they were exaggerating."

Now an unhealthy shade of red, the only nose able to escape Lucy was a squeak for help – and thankfully, someone came to her rescue in more than one way.

A big leather coat was draped across her and Levy's shoulders, smelling of oil and iron, and she could _feel_ Levy's temperature rise a few degrees next to her. _Oh, yeah,_ Lucy remembered as she suppressed her smirk. _I guess I forgot about Gajeel. I wonder if she talked to him…_

"Back off, ya drunk," a gruff voice ordered, causing Cana to take a step back with a grin and a roll of her eyes. "You two should cover up s'more," he grunted, and Lucy craned her neck to get a good look at him. To say she was surprised was an understatement. He looked like the definition of _bad boy_ , piercings lining his nose and browbone (and probably other places she could not see), and a mane of wild black hair cascaded down his back. He appeared as the complete opposite of Levy. Though, as he glanced at the short girl, Lucy _swore_ his stare softened the smallest bit. "We need to talk later."

Levy's mouth fell open, but quickly she closed it and turned her nose up in the air, crossing her arms. "Fine," she agreed, nudging Lucy when she felt the other's silent laugh.

"Okay, children!" It was Makarov who spoke, standing on the stair railing so that everybody was able to see him. "The fire's out – _again_ – so you can all return to your rooms! And Natsu, a word."

As everybody shuffled around her, Lucy watched the sheepish boy trudge over to the headmaster. Her gaze remained transfixed on him, like in a trance, even as Levy tugged her along up the stairs. And just before his face disappeared from sight, his eyes met her and something sparked in them.

When they finally made it to their room, Lucy released the breath she had been holding, rubbing her goosebump-riddled arms as she searched her drawers for pajamas. "And you said that happens a lot?" she asked, her teeth chattering as she dropped her towel and began to dress herself.

"Once or twice a month, sometimes more," Levy sighed, subconsciously tightening her grip on Gajeel's jacket.

"That's a nice coat," Lucy smirked once she was clothed, climbing into her bed which stood opposite of Levy's. The other glared at her, blushing again. "I think he likes you." Perhaps she should not jump to conclusions about people she had known for less than a day (she had been experiencing the feeling all day), but it was so _obvious._

"I guess we'll find out," Levy murmured, petite fingers tangling in her messy locks. And then a light-bulb went off in her mind, eyes brightening. "I almost forgot! What'd you do to get in?"

A frown pulled at Lucy's lips. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, to get into Fiore Academy," Levy elaborated, leaning forward eagerly. "You said you didn't pay, so you've gotta have a _talent._ What's yours?"

Lucy's throat tightened and her mouth went dry, heat crawling up the back of her neck and onto her face. "Oh… _that_ … Well, it's…"

And as she told Levy, the other's eyebrows knitted together in bewilderment for a while (too long for Lucy's liking) before her eyes widened in excitement, leaning forward with sparkles dancing in her eyes.

They proceeded to spend the whole night talking, learning more and more about each other, and by the time the sun peeked over the horizon, Lucy found it hard to regret her lack of sleep.

* * *

 **A/N: I've already posted this on tumblr, so I decided to post it here too! Hope you enjoy! :)**


	2. Chapter 2

_sonder (n.) the realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own._

* * *

Natsu Dragneel was not what one would call _popular_ around Fiore Academy. A better word might be infamous, notorious, and some even consider him entirely disreputable. He was known for burning things – lots of things – and overall causing constant chaos wherever he strayed. That was why most people favored staying _out_ of his way nowadays; nobody wanted to get caught in the crossfire of his destruction.

Plus, he was not very nice.

The only person who could ever _make_ him be nice was Erza Scarlet, and that was solely because she was terrifying – and even then, sometimes he disobeyed her word until she physically forced him to follow her instructions. He was blunt with insults and not very considerate of the feelings of other people, and he did not like to hang around other people.

So when he walked up to his lunch table and found that a ditsy-looking blonde was occupying the seat across from his, he was not very happy. Not only had he been kept awake for an hour last night while Makarov gave him the monthly reprimand, but he had to waste hours away into the night scrapping up irrelevant points for his history essay, and now some girl was sitting at _his_ table.

"This is my spot," he stated, dropping his tray onto the table with a loud clatter.

Clearly, his words had startled her by the way her head shot up, eyes wide. "What?" she questioned dumbly, eyebrows furrowing together.

"This is my spot," he repeated, leaning against the table impatiently. "Go find your own."

By the way she slipped her notebook into her backpack, he assumed she was leaving, but then she scowled up at him and crossed her arms. "I don't see your name on it," she snorted.

"Actually," Natsu smirked, his index finger tapping a patch of dark words on the wood, "it's right here."

She got closer to inspect it disbelievingly, cheeks tinging a light pink as they puffed out in defiance. "Just because you decided to deface school property doesn't mean I'm moving." Then she proceeded to take an angry bite of her lunch, her fiery glare matching his – both unwilling to falter.

"This has been my table for _years_ ," he argued, lips pulling back in a snarl. "Everybody knows that."

"Sorry," she apologized, though her voice lacked any sincerity. "I'm new here. I didn't get the cafeteria handbook yet."

The smug look on her face, in spite of the mad puffed cheeks, infuriated him. She must have been the girl he heard about – the one who supposedly paid to get into the school. "Why don't you go buy your own table, since you were able to buy your way into F.A.?" When she sucked in a deep breath and allowed her hands to curl into the fabric of her skirt, he felt a satisfied grin stretch over his lips, sitting down casually. "All right, bye."

To his astonishment, the girl took another bite of her food, now seemingly unfazed by his snarky comment. "I told you I'm not moving. You don't need a whole table," she shrugged casually, something sparking behind her eyes.

His own eyes glinted dangerously, leaning forward and lowering his voice enough to rid her of her complacent expression. "All right, _fine_. But if this happens again tomorrow, you won't be so smug."

Her eyes were wide for a moment, but there was not a trace of fear in them – not the usual reaction he was able to elicit from a variety of people. Then she became angry again, forehead creasing and staring him down.

For some reason, he felt _small_ under her glare. It was strange for someone to stand up to him or bother him, let alone remain composed against his threats. It made him uncomfortable and it was not _right_. So, bitterly, he turned his head to the side, glowering as he began shoveling food into his mouth.

The cafeteria food was all right. He enjoyed the rare days when some of the student chefs were able to cook and serve, rather than selling the typical frozen food that was barely edible. Home-cooked meals were his favorite; they always had a little something extra within them. Though, to him, any of the food was edible as long as he was hungry enough – and boy, was he hungry.

For a few moments, the mostly empty table was silent. The sounds of her eating were not even there, which was weird, because he had pretty decent hearing. When he glanced at her from the corner of his eye, he caught her practically gawking at him – or, rather, his intense eating. Quickly, though, she looked away, returning her attention to her own food.

The rest of their lunch period went like that: tense, silent, and filled with the occasional fleeting glimpse.

* * *

 _Dear Mom,_

 _I did it. I finally made it into Fiore Academy like I always wanted._

 _I just finished my second day and it's not what I expected. I made two friends, Levy and Gray, and they're really nice. Levy is my roommate now and she loves books as much as I do. I met Gray in my first class and it turns out he's in a few of them. He's cool – except he's got this weird stripping habit._

 _Everybody else isn't that nice so far. They all think I paid to get in and don't believe me when I say I didn't because I'm a Heartfilia. They think Dad paid, but he didn't. I haven't heard from him in a little over a month, since he left for his business trip; he didn't even show up to my goodbye party._

 _But I know–_

Her pen inscribed a long blue line across the paper as the journal was snatched from her grasp. "Hey!" she called, her heart rate rising dramatically. "Give it back!"

The culprit was Flare Corona. Apparently she never had enough of Lucy, because every second she saw her was full of constant taunting and sharp verbal jabs. The wicked smile she wore now with all of her friends from Raven Tail behind her made Lucy want to cringe. "What's this, _Blondie_?"

"It's nothing!" she sputtered, reaching for it. Nobody was outside to witness it, and she was not sure if anybody would have helped her had they been.

Flare held it back, though, her smile darkening with Lucy's eagerness to retrieve it. "If it's nothing, then why do you want it back so badly?" Silence lapsed for a moment before she let out a blood-curdling laugh. Her fingers brushed over the pages, opening it to the one that had been most recently dog-eared. "'Dear Mom,'" she read in a mocking tone. "'I did it. I _finally_ made it into Fiore Academy like it always wanted. I just finished my second day and it's not what I expected…'"

As Flare read aloud the words that were personal, for her ears and for her mother's, had she still been alive, Lucy felt fury boil within her. Eyes pooling with hot and angry tears, she made another grab for her journal, missing by a mere centimeter when Flare moved it out of reach once again. "Give it to me," Lucy demanded, her stare hard.

"You said it wasn't anything important," Flare mused. In a second's notice, a lighter was retrieved from her pocket and held dangerously close to Lucy's journal. "So I guess you wouldn't mind if I…" The flame sparked and danced mere millimeters away from the paper. "… _burn_ it."

"Stop!" Lucy shouted, trying to swipe a hand through the air – but her hands were restrained by one of Flare's friends, Nullpudding. A single tear weaseled its way from her eye and down her cheek as the fire licked the bottom of her journal, the pages catching and the edges turning a sickly shade of black. " _Please!_ "

Suddenly, the grip on Lucy's wrists disappeared, followed by grunting and the sounds of punches. Flare stared with a mixture of shock and horror behind Lucy, oblivious to the way that the fire had consumed the journal up to her fingertips. Lucy, though, lunged for Flare, tearing the book from her hands and patting it hard enough to diminish the flames.

The journal, which had been a gift from her mother so long ago, which had been filled with memories since she was a little girl, was now nothing but a flimsy burnt cover and a pile of ashes. All of the words she had scribbled onto paper were gone.

Yet, when she looked over her shoulder to see Laxus Dreyar throwing the last of the few Raven Tail members into a heap by a tree, Lucy could not find it in her to let the tears fall yet.

Flare, fear evident in her eyes, crawled away, gasping when Laxus's furious glare was set upon her. "Leave," he growled, and she did as he told, abandoning her companions.

It was silent for a few moments, Lucy clutching the remains of her notebook to her chest (surely ruining her pretty yellow blouse) and Laxus glancing around the courtyard. Then he began walking towards her, a little bit angled away, and she expected him to leave – but he did not. Instead, he stopped, extending a hand to help her up. "Are you all right… _Lucy_?" He seemed unsure if that was her name, which was not surprising. Most people only knew her by her last name.

"Yeah," she nodded slowly, surprised. "Oh, _uh_ , thank you."

"No problem," he shrugged casually. Finally, though, he did turn around to leave, walking a few steps before glancing over his shoulder at her. "You're part of Fairy Tail now, so we've gotta look out for you."

* * *

Nothing was able to process in Lucy's mind.

Thankfully, she would be alone probably until she fell asleep. Levy and Gajeel had finally talked and Levy spilled all the details to her during sixth period. It turned out that Gajeel _did_ like Levy (as Lucy had guessed) and he laughed because he was so relieved and baffled. After a long, drawn-out discussion of not believing each other, Levy had been the one to directly ask Gajeel out – on a _date_. That was where they were currently, and Levy probably would not return home until late – it was a Friday, after all, and Fiore Academy had the weekends off.

So Lucy took a very lengthy shower, during which she sorted out her thoughts. Laxus Dreyar, the headmaster's grandson, had beaten up the people antagonizing her and told her, essentially, that it was the responsibility of the Fairy Tail members to look out for one another. Levy was right when she told her about that, then.

 _I guess that even though they're not that close anymore, the idea of family still runs deep,_ she thought, rinsing the rest of the conditioner from her hair. _And… I'm part of it now._

The shower handle was turned with a squeak until water stopped spewing from the spout. Lucy stepped out quickly. If there was another fire, she wanted to actually be dressed when everybody evacuated.

Minutes later, she was in front of her dresser, soaked hair darkening patches of her pink kitten shirt. Her fingers traced the edges of her burnt journal once more and the tears sprung to her eyes again. It had been a momento of her mother – it held the same note in the front from Layla that Lucy read every time she felt upset.

And now it was gone.

Freely the hot tears streamed down her cheeks, her fingers curling around a picture frame that held a picture of her parents and herself. She was young, no older than four or five, but her mother and father looked absolutely joyous. Jude was smiling in a way that he had not done since Layla's passing, and Layla herself was _glowing._ She looked so beautiful, and Lucy sometimes still woke up expecting to see her smiling face.

"I'm sorry, Mom," she whispered, leaning against the wall and sinking until she was sitting down. Her sobs were quiet but they shook her shoulders intensely, every single one causing tremors in her bones. And she cried for a while, surprised at how many tears she could produce, until finally, she heard something.

A voice. And it was singing.

 _No way._ It was behind the wall in the room adjacent to hers, low and sweet but belting out lyrics confidently. The song was one she could not recognize, but the rhythm was enough to calm her mind and her nerves. Eventually the tears stopped flowing and she felt herself being lulled to sleep, the song never faltering – not even in her dreams.

* * *

Natsu exited the shower and wrapped a towel around his waist, maneuvering his way through the mess he called his dorm room. Luckily for him, he had no roommate (well, aside from his pet cat, but Happy was not a registered student), so he could do whatever he wanted with his room and nobody could complain about it.

The day had been rough. Aside from his lack of sleep and the girl who stubbornly across from him at lunch, he had undoubtedly failed three exams and the essay which he had turned in for history was a solid _C-_ at best.

It was not the fact that he did not put any effort into it. He did try, really, but it was hard for him to grasp the concepts. Science came easily to him ( _some_ science) and math was all right, but the other subjects were difficult for him to comprehend and apply – and he was failing because of it.

To say he had been stressed all day was an understatement.

He did what he always did when he was stressed: he sang. It was the reason he got into Fiore Academy. Ever since he was a child, he had been blessed with a great singing voice, and it only got better with time. Even though it was a basic talent, it was good enough for the headmasters to accept him and allow him to enroll, and he had no complaints.

It started out as a quiet hum as he got dressed, but eventually it grew in volume until he was singing as loud as he would have during a performance (if he had done those). His back hit the wall by his door and he fell to the floor with crisscrossed legs; then he serenaded Happy, who had slunk over to him with the pure intent of being pet. And he sang for a while, until he vented all of his emotions and his voice grew sleepy.

As he drifted off, he couldn't help but feel a strange warmth, like someone was there with him.


	3. Chapter 3

_sonder (n.) the realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own._

* * *

Lucy slept until almost eleven in the morning. By the time she managed to peel her eyes open and realize that she had fallen asleep against the wall, everybody had already congregated in the commons for breakfast, Levy being no exception. Currently, her fairy-like roommate sat crisscross on her bed with Gajeel at her side, watching videos on her laptop.

"About time ya woke up, kitty girl," Gajeel grinned.

The blonde blinked sleepily, unable to quite process to what he was referring until he made a quick gesture to her pajamas. _Oh,_ she thought dully, feeling very groggy. While she was asleep, someone – she assumed it was Levy – had draped a blanket over her and even set a pillow between her head and the dresser on which she had opted to lean.

"Good morning…?" she yawned, stretching arm arms high above her head. It was difficult to pull herself to her feet, but someone, she managed (by hoisting herself up with the assistance of her dresser). Her fingers touched something ashy, and when she looked for the source, she found the remnants of her journal.

The events of yesterday came flooding back. Flare. Laxus. Her mother's momento. The voice. _The voice_. It was so soothing and she could remember it even now, every word spoken and the way the rhythm reverberated in her bones. Even now, she felt the urge to hum along to the tune as it played in her head.

"Hey, Lu," Levy spoke hesitantly. "What happened to your book?"

"Flare Corona took it and lit it on fire yesterday," she admitted numbly, her stare dropping to the floor. Then she forced a smile and casually tossed it into the trash bin, trying to ignore how the sound echoed in her mind. "But it's fine."

"You mean those Raven Tail jerks did that?" Gajeel snarled, anger radiating from him in waves. "I'm gonna kick their asses–"

"I said it's fine," she interrupted sharply, her tone contrasting with the nonchalant wave of her hand. "I'm gonna go see if there's any scraps left in the commons."

The trek to the Fairy Tail commons was a long one. More than once, she nearly stumbled over her feet, and random passersby ogled at her – more specifically, her ragged appearance. Her eyes were half-lidded, weariness still overpowering her, her hair – though she managed to tame her bedhead into some sort of bun – was probably worse than she could imagine, and she was walking around in a pink cat shirt and gray pajama shorts that barely covered her butt. The worst part was that she could not find it in herself to even _care_.

Her bare feet (she realized halfway down the stairs she had forgotten shoes, but zombies did not need shoes) dragged over the carpet, barely leaving the ground with every step, until finally, _finally_ she entered the vacant commons – or, at least, she wished it would have been vacant.

Rummaging the refrigerator in the kitchen conjoined to the hall was the one and only Natsu Dragneel, her _favorite_ person. His hair was pulled back into a ponytail, his eyes barely opened as he piled whatever leftovers there had been into his arms. He looked just as exhausted as she felt.

She was thankful that the academy had the profits and the compassion to feed the students every morning, so she would not pass up on free breakfast when it was offered. "Don't eat all the leftovers," she ordered. Her voice was meant to chide him, but it came out as flat and disinterested.

He spared her a muddled glance before dropping his prizes onto the counter, organizing them into different sections: meats, yogurts, fruits, and everything else. She only watched with a sleepy gaze as he did so, partially tempted to lay her claim on some of the delectable bacon – but she had a feeling he was not inclined to share.

So Lucy was thoroughly surprised when he wordlessly grabbed two plates and handed one to her. "Thanks," she mumbled, taking her share of food: yogurt, bacon, and chocolate chip pancakes were stacked neatly onto the styrofoam platter.

Lucy, too tired to venture the few feet into the dining hall, hoisted herself onto the counter, mechanically putting a piece of food into her mouth every few moments. Natsu mimicked her actions, although he managed to scarf down half of his plate in the time it took her to eat half of _one_ pancake. She watched him with heavy eyelids, him oblivious to her stare, something _bothering_ her.

There was something she needed to remember, she realized as she gnawed on a slice of bacon. It seemed so simple. She was missing something _obvious_ , probably due to the cloud of fatigue looming over her head. Her eyes squinted as she scrutinized him: his hair was sticking up in all different places and his bangs were in his face (a perfected bedhead) and his eyes were glossed over hazily, as if he was only subconsciously eating. And just as a blue cat popped its head out from underneath his t-shirt, the realization hit her and she choked on the food she had begun swallowing.

His head snapped up, startled, and he watched as she pounded a fist into her chest and somehow managed to swallow the rest of the bacon. "Weird…" he snorted under his breath, offering a piece of food to the cat.

 _He's the singer from last night!_ She felt like a complete idiot. Not only had she been unable to put two-and-two together, but she had fondly listened to the voice of the boy who tried to boot her from 'his' lunch table. His voice had been like a _lullaby_.

Suddenly the room felt a few degrees hotter and she knew her cheeks were red. For a few minutes, the silence that thickened began to suffocate her, until finally he managed to make it worse.

Released from his mouth was one of the loudest, most obnoxious yawns she had heard in her entire life. It was not nearly as pleasing as the sound of his singing, and it made it hard to even _believe_ that it was him who belted out those soothing lyrics the night before – and really, it would not have been so bad… if yawns were not _contagious_.

She found a quiet yawn escaping her own lips before she could help it, and soon enough, they were passing the honor of yawning back and forth.

 _Loud._

 _Quiet._

 _Obnoxious._

 _Polite._

 _Natsu._

 _Lucy._

And then, again, he opened his mouth to yawn. Halfway through the _annoying_ noise, Lucy instinctively chucked a pancake at his head.

"Stop yawning!"

* * *

Natsu and Lucy were not the only ones who slept in.

Gray, who had woken up only moments ago, was begrudgingly forcing himself to walk the few flights of stairs to the commons. Unlike Lucy, he actually managed to rouse himself fully to consciousness _before_ he left his room, but his thoughts were centered on the same thing: _food_.

 _I hope that fire punk didn't get to the kitchen yet,_ he thought bitterly. Both of them had habits of sleeping the day away, and it had only grown worse as the years passed by. Alongside that and their ongoing rivalry (caused by topics that will be addressed in the future), they both had the tendency to eat whatever leftovers remained before the other could claim even a single piece of bacon. _With my luck, he'll eat the raw meat before I can even cook it._

As he was planning precisely what insults to direct at the pyromaniac, he got the eerie feeling that someone was watching him – and it was confirmed upon hearing the all too familiar voice: "Gray-sama!"

Gray, reluctant to give Natsu a chance at the upper-hand, only slowed his pace by a fraction. Besides, there was no doubt in his mind that Juvia was scurrying to catch up with him – and again, he was proven right. "How did Gray sleep? He looks wonderful," Juvia compliments, struggling to keep up with his long legs.

"You always think I look wonderful," he pointed out flatly, cocking an eyebrow as he glanced over at her.

"Because Gray-sama does!" she smiled, sweetness radiating from her.

Juvia Lockser had only been attending Fiore Academy since the beginning of the previous year (currently, they were in their eleventh year of school, kindergarten not included). Her talents included knitting, swooning, and most importantly, swimming; she was a _natural_ when she took to the pool, and she was the reason Fairy Tail had won so many swim competitions again the other teams. Not only had her presence drastically improved the reputation of Fairy Tail's swim team, but it had made an impact on Gray – by the fact that she had taken an immediate liking to him.

For the first few months, he had been entirely averse to her affection, but never had he outright rejected her. Then, finally, he had confronted her and told her that he did not feel the same way at all, and, much to his surprise, she remained completely unfazed. Juvia continued to act the same way, displaying her love without a hint of embarrassment, and, even though he would never admit it, he began to warm up to her and learned to enjoy her company whenever she offered it (still, though, he remained stoic and poised in the face of her endearment).

Things probably really turned around that day in last winter. He would never forget the look on her face.

Nonetheless, they were friends now (and _just_ friends). That was all that mattered.

"Where are Juvia and Gray going?" Juvia questioned. Something in the fog of his thoughts, she had attached herself to his right arm. He did not mind anymore.

Instead, a scowl pulled at his face at the reminder of his intended destination. "To the kitchen," he grumbled, suddenly feeling exhausted at the thought of possibly even seeing Natsu. "I'm just hoping Ash-for-Brains didn't vacuum everything up into that black hole he calls a stomach." It was hypocritical of him to say – his appetite nearly rivaled that of Natsu.

There was a comfortable silence that fell between them as they walked.

Finally, though, Juvia took a deep breath. "Juvia was wondering…" she began, hesitating as she tried to find a way to word whatever she wanted to say. "…if Gray-sama wanted… to join her for dinner tonight?"

They had had dinner together plenty of times, sometimes by themselves, sometimes with other people, but never before had Juvia directly asked him. Sure, she had hinted around it and flung the idea around in a haste when she got excitable, but her request now was _different_.

Not that Gray noticed.

"Sure, I don't see why not. We eat together all the time," he shrugged casually, missing the way each of his words struck Juvia through the heart. A few moments later, they were making their way into the commons, a commotion hear from the kitchen. "Damn it, I bet that's Natsu…"

Both Juvia and Gray had expected to find Natsu scarfing down the leftovers. What they did not expect to see was the scene they intruded upon: Lucy was backed into the corner of the counter, knees pulled up to her chest and a plate held as a flimsy shield. Natsu was barely on the opposite counter, his toes touching the ground. Both of them wore expressions that could instill fear into the hearts of most people – except for Gray.

The only thing he noticed was the food littering the ground, which Happy was joyously collecting and nibbling.

"What the hell, Natsu?!" Gray snapped, gesturing to the floor. "You wasted all the damn food!"

"That girl threw it first!" Natsu defended himself, pointing an accusatory finger and Lucy.

"Yeah, well, I actually like her, so I don't care," Gray responded. He and Natsu were practically butting heads.

"And my _name_ is Lucy!" came the indignant voice.

Meanwhile, Juvia was standing in the doorway, processing the words spoken by Gray. "Gray-sama… _likes_ her…" she murmured to herself, testing it. After a moment, she decided that it was wrong. "That makes her…"

Lucy, having noticed the somewhat pensive and lost expression on Juvia's face, inched closer to the blue-haired girl. "Hey, are you–"

" _My rival!_ " Juvia exclaimed, turning a murderous glare onto Lucy.

"Wha–" Lucy shrieked, startled. She jumped back a few feet, knocking Gray into Natsu, in turn causing Natsu to trip – which made all of them fall into a heap on the ground. " _Ow_ …"

Lucy pushed herself up, frowning and rubbing her head. Someone or another's elbow had collided with her poor skull in the short-lived chaos. "That could've been worse, I guess," she sighed.

"For you!" Natsu and Gray shouted in unison. Both of them had landed under her, although Natsu was under Gray, and she was sitting comfortably on Gray's back. Then the two boys glared at each other, bothered by their sudden synchronization. "Don't copy me! Stop, asshole!"

Lucy pushed herself back to her feet, turning around with her hands on her hips. "Maybe you'd stop copying each other if you stopped acting like kids," she pointed out sourly. Then, glancing around at the kitchen, she frowned. "I need to go. I promised Levy I'd meet up with her and Gajeel. Can you guys please clean up?"

"Like hell I will!" Natsu hollered, leaping to his feet and intentionally tossing Gray off him.

He shrunk back immediately when Lucy's warm eyes turned harsh. "Clean it up," she ordered coldly.

"All right!" he nodded quickly, feeling Gray do the same once he was standing next to him. He would never, _ever_ tell anybody (in order to keep his reputation as the 'tough guy,' mostly), but he felt literal chills rattle his spine under her heavy glare.

"Good," Lucy nodded, turning towards the exit. She lingered for a moment by Juvia before extending a hand for the girl to shake. "I don't know what that was about, but I'm Lucy. It's nice to meet you!"

"Juvia," Juvia responded, taking her hand. Confusion swept over her features as Lucy strolled away, messing with the bun into which she had lazily thrown her hair. _Lucy-san… She's strange._

Natsu and Gray spent the next twenty minutes wiping the kitchen until it was spotless, filling the air with sharp insults and smothering tension, all while Juvia was left to her thoughts.


	4. Chapter 4

_sonder (n.) the realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own._

* * *

"I can't believe _your_ boyfriend made me sing karaoke with him." Lucy's face was flushed red with embarrassment as she recalled what had happened just over an hour ago.

Levy giggled happily, patting her friend on the shoulder affectionately. "You guys were amazing. My two favorite people, dedicating a song to me." An exaggerated, dreamy sigh passed through her lips, leaning on Lucy for support.

"Favorite...?" Lucy blinked down at Levy's head.

Levy looked up at her, mimicking her expression. "Well, yeah," she nodded, smiling brightly. "I mean, I know we've only been roommates for a little over a week, but you're already one of my best friends, Lu."

The lower lip of the blonde jutted out before she was squeezing Levy in a tight embrace. " _Levy~!_ That was so cute!"

After one week at the school, Lucy's could say with ease that her closest friends were Levy, Gajeel, and Gray - which was surprising. Not that she had not expected to become fast friends with Levy, but never would she have seen herself being so close to a guy with more piercings than she can count on both hands and an exhibitionist.

On top of that, she was gradually consolidating friendships with other people, like Juvia, Cana, and the pretty white-haired student council adviser, Mirajane. Whenever she passed Laxus in the hallways, she would wave and greet him and he would give her a nod; his three companions quickly learned her name and although Evergreen was nowhere near her biggest fan, Freed and Bickslow seemed to have no complaints. With Natsu, she made no progress, but stubbornly she remained at his lunch table, as did he. That surely drew a lot of attention to herself.

 _Lucy took her seat at the table without a second thought, ignoring the heated glare she received from her "lunch buddy."_

 _"How long are you gonna sit here?" he grumbled, pushing his food around his tray with disinterest. He had already grown tired of the slop they called lunch._

 _"Maybe until the end of the year," she hummed, popping a grape into her mouth._

 _Around them, people whispered and pointed. They had finally taken notice that Natsu, who had been sitting alone at lunch for years, now had a relatively attractive blonde girl joining him every single day._

 _After a few minutes, Lucy noticed that Natsu was not indulging himself as usual, but rather, he seemed disgusted by what the school had to offer for lunch. Silently, she gathered some of her lunch into the container that had previously held the grapes, sliding it across the table to him._

 _The startled look her gave her was one she did not return - nor even meet - but he grew skeptical easily. When he took a bite, though, his eyes widened and he began to relentlessly dig into the meal. It was one of the best meals he had eaten in a long while._

 _Lucy smiled to herself._

Okay, perhaps they had made _some_ progress in the direction of a possible friendship, but it was so nominal that Lucy barely considered it significant. Plus, he was so irritating sometimes that she was tempted to ditch him at lunch - but her pure obstinance forced her to stay.

"So, have you told Natsu about how much you _love_ his voice yet?" Levy teased quietly, nudging Lucy in the side as they walked.

Lucy's face reddened even further. "I never said I loved it!" she responded, crossing her arms and turning her nose up in the air. After the breakfast incident, Lucy had confided in Levy about falling asleep to the sound of Natsu's voice - and then he had constantly sung aloud every night of the week so even Levy was able to hear it. "And I haven't told him that I've even heard him sing. He's such a jerk that it's impossible to have a decent conversation with him."

The angelic laugh that Lucy had come to appreciate filled the air once more. "You two need to work things out if you're going to sit at lunch together every day."

"Yeah?" Lucy raised a dubious eyebrow, glancing at Levy from the corner of her eye. "How?"

Levy tapped her chin thoughtfully before a light bulb seemed to brighten in her mind. "Find a common interest!" she exclaimed, grinning. "There's no better way to talk to someone than to find something you have in common."

A frown pulled at Lucy's lips. _Easier said than done._

"I know people talk bad about him and say he's a bad-boy loner type a lot," Levy huffed, starting to drag her feet over the concrete, "but there's more to him than you think. After everything he's gone through, I'm sure he just needs the right kind of friend."

Surprise morphed Lucy's features, her eyes widened the slightest bit as she looked over at Levy. Of course, Levy had informed her of some of the drama between Fairy Tail members (Lucy had been curious as to why nobody was close anymore), but never had she spoken so personally of any of her classmates - and Lucy did not expect the first to be Natsu.

"I guess," she mumbled, hiding her nose in her scarf.

That was another thing: his scarf. He was never seen without it - not even during gym class - and as much as Lucy's curiosity tore away at her mind, she could not bring herself to ask about it. Only once had she seen anybody mention the scaly-looking cloth, and Natsu seemed extra tense when the topic was brought up.

"Maybe you guys will be great friends. Who knows?" Levy shrugged nonchalantly, turning the corner into their dormitory.

Lucy's attention was caught by a bright poster stuck to the bulletin board. The words _Class Sports Competition!_ were what stood out the most in bright blue letters (that was what each 'group' was referred to as - a class). "Levy-chan..."

Levy stopped followed her gaze, nodding in understanding upon seeing the poster. "The competition," she mused, hands falling to her hips. "Fairy Tail hasn't won since everything went down. In fact, we've come in last place every single year since - I don't even know. No one really cares anymore. Some of us are competitive, but the only reason we compete is because we have to. Random people get selected each year because nobody ever signs up."

"Hm..." Lucy's stare intensified. Levy almost asked her what she was thinking before the blonde burst, throwing a fist into the air. "Levy!"

"Huh?!"

Fiery brown eyes turned on the shorter of the two, many emotions dancing within them. Levy did not miss the way her friend smirked confidently, pulling her hand back down and nodding. "Go ahead to our room! I'll catch up!" And then she proceeded to dash over, rip the poster from the board, and disappear around the corner.

Levy blinked. "All right, Lu."

Taking her time, Levy hopped up the steps one by one, unaware of the intense stare that had long side settled on her. When she finally got to the top step, she made her way towards her room, only to be stopped.

A hand covered her mouth and pulled her backwards, muffling her scream.

* * *

" _Hm_..." Lucy's eyebrows knitted together as she glanced from the poster to the sign-up sheets sitting outside of the office. Every line was blank and the papers were untouched - no creases, streaks, or even slight crumples to prove that someone else had taken liberty of at least sparing them a moment. Clearly, they had been sitting out for a few days, though; they were already gathering dust.

 _Random people get selected each year because nobody ever signs up._

Levy's words echoed in Lucy's mind and that just made the blonde even more concentrated, her eyes flickering from the poster to the papers. Not even a pen had been left out (or, if it had, it had been stolen). _They must really not care,_ she sighed mentally, pulling her shoulders back and drawing in a deep breath. _I'm gonna change that._

Her thoughts drifted back to what little Levy had told her about the past of Fairy Tail's students. They used to be close, but after some sort of dispute (Levy had purposely avoided talking about that) between the entire class, everybody had drifted so far apart that it impossible to reconnect even though some of them tried. _I need to ask Levy-chan more about that later._

Footsteps echoed in the hallway behind her, and on instinct, she pivoted on her heel, pointed a stern finger at whoever had the misfortune of encountering her. "You!" she exclaimed, catching the attention of an attractive redhead. "Do you have a pen?"

The glare that settled on her had her wishing she could fold up and slip through the floorboards. "What?"

"Sorry," she squeaked. "Do you, maybe, have a pen I could borrow, please?"

The passerby scrutinized Lucy for another moment before delving a hand into her purse and pulling out a simple black pen. She was prepared to make a comment about how even though she was new, Lucy should not be talking so rudely to her classmates - but the expression on the other's face stopped her. She held the pen tenderly, staring at it in complete awe and excitement, and the long-time Fairy Tail student had a feeling that the look was not about the pen. "Why do you need it, if I may ask?"

Lucy snapped out of her daze, staring blankly at Erza before gasping and whirling around. "The competition," she responded smoothly, preoccupied with reading the sign-up sheet. "I'm... uh, I'm signing up."

 _Please sign up chronologically. The first person to sign up on the General Sheet will be the captain of the team._ A pang of doubt radiated in her chest as the tip of the pen pressed against the paper. She had no idea if she could be captain of a bunch of people who did not care. Then her eyes widened again. _That's it._

Quickly, she scribbled her name down in the slot for captain, before glancing at the other sheets and occasionally writing her name down for certain activities.

Her companion, temporarily forgotten, watched her with intrigue. Not only was it odd for someone new to the environment to be so willing to participate in school activities, but someone who was part of Fairy Tail - and probably witnessed the lack of harmony among the class - was taking charge of the competition.

A few minutes lacking conversation passed before Lucy finally spun around again, a bright smile on her face as she handed the pen back to her peer. "Sorry about being so rude at first," she apologized sheepishly, patting her hands on her skirt. "I'm Lucy."

"You're the girl everybody talked about - the one who paid?" At this, Lucy's eyebrow twitched, indicating that it was, in fact, a rumor, as she had originally expected. "Or not. I'm Erza Scarlet."

"We have last period together," Lucy nodded with a smile. Usually, Lucy kept to herself in the back and front corners of the classroom (it was the farthest she could get from the money-related taunts from others), so it was not surprising that she and Erza had not met one another yet.

Erza crossed her arms, peering over Lucy's shoulder and at the competition sign-ups. "You're signing up...?"

"Yeah!" Lucy beamed, seeming to bounce on her heels. "I know that nobody in our class is really into this anymore, but I think it sounds fun! Maybe everybody can come together for this. Plus, who doesn't want to be in a winning class?"

The sharp intake of Erza's breath went unnoticed by Lucy as she turned and double-checked the papers. Nobody had talked about Fairy Tail reconnecting in quite awhile, but Lucy came in with a smile and now made it sound so simple - her objective, to win, so easily attainable. Her cheery optimism was refreshing, in a way.

"I don't see why not," Erza shrugged to herself, stepping forward and leaning over the table next to Lucy. When her pen touched the paper, she hesitated; it had been _years_ since she had written her name on any of the club sign-up sheets. _Maybe it's about time._ With that thought in mind, she took her time to write out her name in a neat cursive scrawl.

"Awesome!" Lucy rocked back on her heels, barely able to contain her brimming excitement. "Thanks, Erza."

A warm smile slipped onto Erza's face, surprising even herself. It was not that she had not smiled in a while, but that it had never been so genuine; she smiled to be polite, she smiled to encourage, she smiled to scare, but it was all her doing it on purpose. Now, the curve of her lips was totally subconscious. "Don't thank me, Lucy," she shrugged, writing her name under whichever sports intrigued her. "I have a feeling that something's about to change."

"Huh?" Lucy's head cocked the side, her smile dropping as she looked at Erza with confusion. _What's that supposed to mean?_

Quickly, Erza dug into her bag and pulled out a notebook, writing a series of numbers across the paper. "This is my phone number," she explained, handing the paper over to Lucy. "I have to be somewhere now, but call me if you need anything or have any questions or ideas about the competition."

There was a moment of silence between them as they both held onto the paper, Erza with a smile and Lucy with an expression of surprise and confusion - but then a wide grin broke onto her face and she nodded. "Of course!"

"All right. I'll see you in class." With that said, Erza composed herself, slipping a flier for the competition into her bag before continuing on her path that Lucy had interrupted.

Said classmate watched in awe as Erza walked away, a million thoughts racing through her head every passing second. Lucy did not know much about Erza, but something in her gut told her she would be thankful for having her as a friend in the future and during the competition. Once again, her eyes widened to the size of saucers; Erza was participating the competition.

With a shout, she jumped into the air: "Yes!"

* * *

Levy had struggled against the hand until the recognized the faint scent of oil and rust; then she slumped against her "captor," if she could even call him that.

"What do you want?" she had questioned once Gajeel dropped his hand, peering up at him.

"I just came to say hi," he had grinned, his familiar laugh bubbling from his throat (she often teased him for it, mimicking _gihi_ in a low voice).

With a sigh, Levy had taken a step away from him and turned around, tapping the center of his chest with her forefinger. "Lucy and I are going to study when she gets back in a few minutes, so unless you want to study with us, you can't stay."

That was how they ended up cuddled together on her bed, watching some random show on her laptop. Gajeel's hand twirled a strand of her hand absentmindedly while she held his other one, using his shoulder as a pillow.

" _The competition is a go!_ " Lucy threw the door open, scaring the wits out of both Gajeel and Levy, but she did not pay their reactions any mind. "I talked to Erza Scarlet about it!" Her arms were stacked with a pile of papers though she did not seem to be struggling at all; in fact, she was _glowing_.

Gajeel, who had not been present for their previous conversation, scrunched his nose up. "Are ya talkin' about the sports competition?" When Lucy nodded eagerly, he snorted. "Good luck with that, Blondie. No one-"

"Don't tell me no one cares," Lucy snapped, setting the papers neatly onto her desk. Even though her voice was tense, she did not miss a beat as she whirled around, a determined gleam in her eyes. "Fairy Tail is gonna _win_."

* * *

 **Here you go! Part 5 is on the way as well. :) I know the chapters seem pretty short but I'm trying to balance out school work and my writing while still giving you updates frequently so every chapter is going to be about 2-3K words.**

 **Anyway, hope you enjoyed!**

 **ALSO: What sports do you think should be in the competition? I already have a list of them, but I wanna know what you guys think. :)**


	5. Chapter 5

_sonder (n.) the realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own._

* * *

Levy's eyes snapped open the moment her alarm blared into her ear, finger immediately jabbing the screen of her phone to silence it. For a few moments, she considered going back to sleep, if only for a while, but she reminded herself that she had never overslept and she would not start now.

So, reluctantly, she threw her blankets aside, exposing her poor skin to the frigid air in the dorm room. _Jeez…_ she thought, rubbing her arms to elicit some sort of warmth. _I must've left the window open._ Validating her assumption, a fresh gust of biting wind blew into the room, whistling lowing – mocking her. Quickly, she shut it, flicking the light switch on and scanning the dorm for her roommate.

Lucy was seated in the chair at her desk, a pen still clutched tightly in her hand while she snoozed atop an array of the mostly empty sign-up sheets for the sports competition. The glow of her laptop illuminated her face, making her appear ethereal – even if she was practically drooling on her work. A soft snore, barely audible, competed with the low humming of the air conditioning system for who could be the loudest (they were evenly matched) but Lucy's posture was rigid and her shoulders shook every once in a while.

 _Lucy…_ Levy thought sullenly, grabbing her blanket and draping it over the other's shoulders. Thankfully, Levy always woke way before Lucy, so the girl could have some time to warm up before becoming consciously aware of how cold she was. _I don't get it._ She really did not. It had been two days since Lucy found out about the sports competition, and she was nonstop doing her best to get people to sign up. The day before, Levy had asked her why she was trying so hard, and the innocent look on the blonde's face almost made Levy melt (even Gajeel, who had been hanging out with them again, could do nothing but blink).

 _Because Fairy Tail is supposed to be a family, right? I'm bringing your family back together._

Even now, the words struck a chord in Levy's heart that filled her stomach with butterflies and her chest with warmth. Lucy had barely breached the surface of what had happened but still, she wanted to help.

What made Levy the most upset was that her efforts might all be for naught.

As she showered, she thought back to the quick glimpse she had gotten of some of the sign-ups. There were barely any names: she recognized Lucy's, Erza's, Gajeel's, and her own, but other than that, only one other person had signed up for an event – and it happened to be Jet signing up for a race.

Even after she had gotten dressed and dried her hair, the subtle hint of dread pricked at her mind. She did not want to imagine her best friend's face if no one signed up; if Fairy Tail came in last place once again. _Please,_ she begged desperately, although she knew no one could hear her in her head. _Please, I don't care if it's ninth place. Just don't let Fairy Tail come in last again… for Lucy._

As if on cue, Lucy's alarm screeched right next to her face, sending the blonde tumbling out of the chair and only the floor. Once she settled and the alarm ended, she glanced hazily around until her sleepy eyes found Levy's. There was still a bit of drool in the corner of her mother and her hair – which had previously been thrown into a messy braid – framed her face in messy waves. Still, even in her fatigue, there was a gleam that Levy secretly admired: a hint of passion, of determination, of sheer will and optimism that did not dare to fade.

"Good morning, Lucy," Levy greeted. Earning only a blink in response, she giggled to herself; it had become clear to both Levy and Gajeel that when Lucy first awoke most days, she would not be dragged out of her dreamy daze for quite a while.

"After you fell asleep," Lucy hummed, gathering the papers she had scattered and setting them on the desk. Her feet dragged across the floor towards her dresser, absently digging through the drawers in an attempt to find something to wear. "I was still awake, and he was singing again, and Levy – it was so _sad_. He sounded so sad."

Ever since Levy had spoken to Lucy about Natsu, the girl did her best to keep an open mind concerning the pink-haired loudmouth. According to Lucy, her attempts to find common ground were to no avail; she and Natsu had no similar interests. Still, she persevered and kept on pushing for _something._

"How long until first period?"

Startled after being once again pulled from her thoughts, Levy checked her phone. "Thirty minutes."

Lucy's eyes widened to the size of saucers and she scrambled to change clothes, eventually settling one a simple pink sweater and blue skirt. "I was supposed to wake up earlier!" she whined, pulling her sneakers on and gathering her belongings. "I'll – I'll see you in class, Levy!"

Watching, confused with Lucy's words and sudden boost of energy, Levy just nodded dumbly as Lucy dashed out of the room – and then she realized that Lucy had left her lunch behind.

"Hm…"

* * *

Lucy sat down at her lunch table – she had beaten Natsu to it once again – with a groan, resting her head on the table. Not only was she absolutely exhausted (the bags under her eyes were proof enough), but she had forgotten her lunch in her dorm, which happened to be across campus, and her stomach was growling like a predatory animal.

And to top it all off, her campaign for the sports competition was going nowhere.

The sound of something being dropped on the table in front of her surprised her, head lifted slowly. In front of her was the lunch she had packed the previous, wrapped in pink as always.

"What's got you so down in the dumps, Lucky?" Natsu questioned, setting his tray down and taking his seat across from her. Although he claimed to want to sit alone and she claimed to sit in her seat out of pure stubbornness, they had already grown accustomed to eating lunch together – even if it was mostly filled with silence.

Lucy, neglecting to correct him about her name, unwrapped her lunch, a sour pout falling onto her lips. "The sports competition," she shrugged lamely, picking at her food. "Nobody is signing up."

"Well, _duh_ ," Natsu snorted, rolling his eyes. "Nobody wants to. It's super lame and the idiots in Fairy Tail can't work together as is."

 _You're one of those idiots._ Eye twitching in annoyance, Lucy instinctively toyed with her necklace, scowling at him. "I want to," she contradicted. "And I'm gonna make sure we win.

"And how are you going to do that?" The partially disinterested eyebrow he raised irked her even more. "Can you even play any sports? I thought blondes were supposed to be dumb and cheer." Even though he was no saying it entirely to be mean, she still took offense; everybody had been judging her for her whole life since she was a _busty blonde_.

"I'm going to get people to sign up and work together," she stated surely. "And we're going to take the other classes down."

"You're talking big for someone whose daddy had to _pay_ to get her into school," he countered smugly.

Even though he knew it was a rumor from the start, even though she _clarified_ with him that it was not true, the words still chipped bit by bit at her resolve. He watched her eyes cloud over with anger and upset and _hurt_ , and a part of him told him to apologize. However, even if he had wanted to, he was not given the chance.

Lucy shoves her lunch across the table, shaking her head. "I'm not hungry anymore." Her hands balled into fists and she stood up, glaring at him - expertly hiding her emotions in the blink of an eye. "You know, Natsu," she snapped, "I'm doing this because I'm trying to fix whatever happened between everybody-because I want us all to be friends. I don't care what you want or what you do. I don't need your help, and I sure as hell don't need your opinion."

As she stormed off, he scowled. For once in his life, he had lost his appetite; and the many onlookers who had caught wind of their conversation did nothing to help.

* * *

More violently than necessary, Lucy slammed the final staple into the neon pink paper, attaching it to the bulletin board. During her free period, she had resorted to placing posters and the sign-up sheets all around school in the most populated areas. The fliers she hung up currently read: Every Fairy Tail member who joins the Class Sports Competition will be provided with dinner at 8-Island every Friday until the final day of the competition.

If sweet-talking and persuasion would not work, bribery could - and thank _god_ she had been generous with the amount of money she deposited into her savings account every month, for she had been in the commons for breakfast some mornings to witness the animal appetites of her fellow classmates. She felt exhausted just imagining the dent it would put in her savings.

 _I have to do whatever it takes,_ she reminded herself, _and if bribery with food works, it's worth it._

Apart from the bold bribery printed onto every fluorescent paper, there were details of the first meeting - to be held the upcoming Friday in the B gym. After ditching Natsu and her lunch (which she was beginning to regret because her stomach was practically eating itself), Lucy had gone to the office to request a time slot for the gym. Luckily for her, she was able to schedule herself in whenever she wanted.

Meandering down the hallway, she pinned another paper up, each time she stapled it more aggressive than the last. Honestly, she had no idea what Levy had been talking about; there was no such thing as _common ground_ for Lucy and Natsu, especially after that comment he had made.

Lucy did not want to talk about her father. She did not even want to be _reminded_ of him, yet people taunted her every day - but not him. Aside from the comment he made when they first met (which he admitted to knowing that the rumor was untrue), he had never made a single intimation in regards to her family's money. _Then he just..._

Her teeth gritted together as she hit the stapler against the board, not even caring if she had hit her intended mark. _Idiot._

"Lucy!" It took her a moment to recognize the voice, but it was so distinct that she could hardly believe she even forgot. Erza came to a stop in front of her, dressed in clothes for a workout. "I saw your fliers and I just wanted to let you know that I'll be late to the meeting on Friday. Sorry. I've failed you already."

Lucy laughed awkwardly. "That's okay!" she assured, waving her hands in front of her. "I'll just be going over the details I texted you before we start picking sports. I've decided that we should just let people sign up generally and pick events at the meeting... if anyone shows." Automatically, her shoulders hunched and her lips settled into a pout; the idea of nobody willingly participating really put a damper on her mood.

"I have faith in you, Lucy," Erza stated, placing a hand on Lucy's shoulder. Seeing Lucy's lips part and a slightly marveled expression splay over her features, Erza smiled in her usual motherly way. "You're special and you're bound to attract the attention of everybody. I have a feeling you're going to change everything."

Her cheeks heated up as Erza took a step back and walked away, leaving her to suffer and ponder those words for the rest of the day.

At least, that was what she expected until something interrupted her train of thought.

As she was walking through campus, mulling over the events of the day, her mind was completely in a daze - in turn, she was hardly paying attention to where she was headed and what obstacles stood in her way. It was the perfect chance for Flare Corona to pull a fast one on her, and the redhead took the opportunity. Sticking her foot out, she made sure that Lucy's ankle caught on it and the girl was sent sprawling on the ground.

"Ow," Lucy muttered, half-mindedly gathering the papers that had slipped from her grasp. Her ankle was definitely twisted but nothing worse, so it would be find, but the fact that many people snickered rather than helping her was a serious blow to her self esteem.

"I heard you're advocating for Fairy Tail's win," Flare grinned, bitter amusement warping her features into a wicked smile. "Don't you think that's kind of... _impractical?_ Everybody knows Fairy Tail's been in dead last for years."

Lucy glared from her spot on the ground. "I'm surprised you're using words that are more than five letters," she spoke innocently, although the glint in her eyes was anything but. If Flare had a bone to pick with her, then she would pick right back.

"Are you talking back to _me_?" Her companions stood behind her, eerie and dark - a looming threat.

"It's more of a one-sided conversation since I doubt you can comprehend more than half of what I'm saying," Lucy retorted, rising to her feet. She blatantly favored her right leg over her left leg.

That comment seemed to push Flare right off the edge of the cliff of sanity. "Learn your place, _Blondie!_ You're talking to a member of the Raven Tail cla-"

"And _you're_ talking to a student of Fairy Tail!" The sudden change in Lucy's tone shifted the entire atmosphere, startling both Flare and her friends. "I don't care about what happened before I got here. Just know, now that I'm here-" Lucy leaned in, her voice dropping to an uncharacteristically dangerous bite, "-Raven Tail, and all the other classes, better watch their backs, because Fairy Tail is going to win this year."

The entire hallway went quiet. Everybody had heard what Lucy said, and had it been anybody else, they might have laughed - but it was the new girl and she seemed to have more pride in her class than all of the other Fairy Tail students combined. Something about her not only amazed them all, but unsettled them; she had an aura different from the likes of any they had encountered before, and it was appalling. Even other Fairy Tail students had been brought to a halt by her words.

Lucy never took her eyes off of Flare, but even that could not have helped her to avoid the sudden punch to the jaw. As she stumbled backwards, out of breath, it took her a few moments to register what was happening: Flare was starting a physical fight. _I can't have this on my permanent record._

"Fairy Tail is old news," Flare smirked, appearing proud of her cheap shot.

 _Screw my permanent record._ Lucy's arms reared back and with all of her might, she smacked Flare clean across the face with her notebook, eliciting a round of gasps from the bystanders. "Lucy Heartfilia isn't."

With her pride still thankfully intact, Lucy turned around, ignoring the pain in her ankle as she strode away (had she _limped_ away, she would have appeared more pathetic than powerful). Really, getting into a fight within her first few weeks of school was not the best way to start off, but Flare had asked for it by attacking her first - by burning her mother's journal - by insulting Fairy Tail.

She could feel the bruise already on her face, and all she could think about was Levy's reaction. Her eyes widened. _Gajeel is going to kill somebody. Or Gray. Or both._ Immediately she spiraled into panic mode, walking briskly towards her dorm. Levy and Gajeel were definitely ( _read: hopefully_ ) not back yet so that would give her time to work magic with her makeup and act as if nothing had happened; and if they noticed her limp, she could just claim that she stumbled down the stairs.

A groan passed through her lips. Gossip spread like a wildfire, so there was no doubt that one of the two would hear about her quarrel.

Once again lost in her thoughts, anxiety built up to the brink in her chest, she did not notice that somebody was heading her way, not paying attention either. Neither of them even saw the other until the collided and Lucy was sent stumbling backwards. Fortunately, hands grasped her upper arms and steadied her -

\- but upon seeing the owner of the hands, she decided she would have rather fallen.

"Oh, Luce, I-" he began.

"It's Lucy," she corrected, turning her head to the side, her nose in the air. He could not make it up with some half-assed, mediocre apology - assuming that was what he was even going to say.

"You-Is that a bruise?" Her blood ran cold seconds before he moved her hair out of the way, revealing a blue splotch on her jawline that contrasted with her otherwise pale skin. "What happened?"

"Why do you care?" she snapped, taking a step back.

For a moment, he went silent, and so they were both quiet. His cheeks were dusted a light pink, but it was barely visible so Lucy convinced herself that she was imagining things.

"I'm leaving-"

"Wait!" His hand encircled her wrist, preventing her from going anywhere. "I... What I said earlier was uncalled for... and I just-I get it. I'm sorry, Lucy." The last part was so quiet that Lucy swore she was going crazy, but the way his gaze dropped to the ground told her otherwise.

She watched him curiously, her own eyes softening. "I got into a fight."

Natsu's head shot up, alight with both confusion and excitement. Her forgiveness had been wordless, but it was definitely there. "A fight? And you didn't ask me to join?"

"It's not exactly something I did voluntarily," she muttered, sweating. "Raven Tail was trash talking Fairy Tail." When he kept quiet for once, she assumed it was encouragement for her to continue. "Flare Corona - the, um, creepy redhead - tripped me while I was finding somewhere else hanging posters up and twisted my ankle. I got back up and told her Fairy Tail was gonna win this year, and she got mad and hit me... so... I, um... kind of, maybe, smacked her with my book."

Natsu let out a laugh - the first genuine, wholehearted guffaw she had ever heard from him - and he patted her on the back. "That makes me feel a little bit better about you sitting with me at lunch."

Lucy, despite herself, smiled, biting her lip. "Thanks... I think?"

"All right," Natsu huffed. "I'll take you back to your dorm, Miss I-Lamely-Twisted-My-Ankle-During-A-Fight."

"Hey! It was before the fight!"

* * *

 **Hope you enjoyed! :)**


	6. Chapter 6

_sonder (n.) the realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own._

* * *

Natsu grimaced, wiping a bit of blood from the corner of his lips. Once again, Sting and Rogue had tried to team up on him - and once again, he came out as the victor. However, he did not leave unscathed; bruises lined his cheek and jaw bones and almost every limb (although he was thanking whatever deities that neither of them had been precise enough to sport him a black eye) and a trail of blood trickled from his nose and mouth. They sure were getting stronger.

At that thought, he snorted. Prior to the destruction of Fairy Tail's bonds, Sting Eucliffe, now a second year* (one grade lower than Natsu), had practically idolized him. He had no clue as to why - his widely-known fighting skills, his accomplishments, or, as Erza had told him in their final text to one another, his " _IDGAF_ attitude" - but for some reason, the arrogant blonde did... until Fairy Tail fell apart.

After that, he essentially resented Natsu, his current goal in life to surpass the pink-haired pyro. He had yet to do so.

As he strolled into the lunchroom, hands in his pockets, his eyes immediately found the familiar blonde head of hair. After the incident a few days ago, they had returned to normal - in other words, to being bitter allies. Something was different, though. While they still bickered constantly and disagreed on almost every single subject, there was something underlying in all of their words; an unspoken acceptance. They accepted that they were part of each other's every day lives now, no matter how much they argued.

Another thing, he remembered as he neared the lunch table, was wrapped in pink and smelled delicious. She had started to pack him lunch. _"I know you don't like the cafeteria food much and I'm tired of hearing you complain."_ While she said that, she refused to look at him, her cheeks a light shade of pink.

"Hey, Loo-" he began as he hopped into his seat, claiming the bento box she had already set on the table for him. He cut himself off, though, because her cheek was squished on her arm, a snore barely emitting from her.

She was _sleeping._ Her hair spilled out all over the table (really, he had never noticed how long it was before) and her cheeks were rosier than usual, and while he could sleep through the chaos of the cafeteria, it was odd that none of the shouts managed to startle her awake. _She must be really tired._

Little did he know, she had been up until four in the morning. Between homework, job-searching, and planning out everything for the sports competition, she had not been able to sleep well. Levy offered to help her, but she could only refuse the offer after seeing her friend's tired eyes; she was not the only one with a lot of work.

In her sleep, she was replaying her conversation with Levy from the night before.

 _"Levy," Lucy cut through the peaceful silence, catching her pillow in her hands as it came back down from the air. She sat up and met Levy's gaze. "I want to know something."_

 _Levy giggled slightly. "Everybody wants to know something," she pointed out, but obliged, nonetheless. "Know what, Lu?"_

 _"What happened?" Her question either confused or stunned Levy into silence, so she elaborated: "I mean... to make Fairy Tail so... estranged."_

 _"I know what you mean," Levy stated._

 _"But um-you don't have to tell me! If, um, if you don't want to! It's ok-"_

 _"It's okay." The sigh that passed through her roommate's lips caused Lucy's shoulders to sag. "It was a few years ago. I can't tell you everything that happened because I'm not 100% sure myself, but... everything was tense. Gray and Natsu fought a lot physically and insulted each other a lot, too, but they were friends until-they had gotten into some sort of real argument. I'm not sure what it was about-I'm not sure anybody but them knows-but it was setting them up for failure. They weren't the only ones, either." Levy drew in a deep breath, unable to look at Lucy anymore. "Everybody was fighting and the tension kept..._ building _. Then we had the annual sports competition. For the first time... ever, really, Fairy Tail came in last, and that's when it all came undone. Everybody said some nasty things and placed the blame on each other and then we all just... drifted apart."_

 _By this time, Levy's eyes had filled with tears she had been unwilling to shed and Lucy, upon noticing this, had waddled over the Levy's bed and wrapped her blanket around the both of them. "I'm sorry, Levy. That must've been... really hard." She, herself, was all choked up. It was not the way that Levy told the story that upset her, but the pained look on her friend's face._

 _Levy allowed her head to fall onto Lucy's shoulder, a silent sob shaking her shoulders. "I miss it, Lu."_

 _"I know," Lucy murmured, holding back her own tears. Even though she met Levy when she was crying, it was even harder to witness it now that they were friends. "I'm gonna fix it for you. I promise."_

It was a promise she did not intend to break.

However, she was pulled from her unconscious train of thoughts by a continuous jab to her cheek. At first, she swatted the hand away, willing herself to drift back into the land of dreams, but it persisted until she had the forcibly grab the hand and scowl at the perpetrator. "I was sleeping," she huffed, her cheeks puffing out in anger.

"I know," Natsu grinned shamelessly. "Your snoring was getting annoying."

"I don't snore!" she protested, but then, rethinking her statement, "-loud."

"I've got hearing like a dog, Luce," he smirked, tapping his ears for emphasis - even though he _was_ exaggerating, and he just wanted an excuse to wake her up.

Her head turned to the side, eyes finding the clock, and then she slowly sank back down so that her chin rested atop her arms. "You sure act like one."

"What's that s'posed to mean?" he grumbled, shoving another piece of food into her mouth. He had to hand it to her; she was a damn good cook, but the frown on her face was unusual. "You know," he began, pointing a finger at her face, "your face will get stuck like that if you keep making that face."

Rather than the aggravated or indignant look he expected, her lips parted and her eyes widened in a sort of shock. He could tell immediately by the distant look in her eyes that it was not him that caused that expression; maybe inadvertently, but she was in her own world.

 _Her fingers pinched her cheeks and pulled, eyes crossing and a little pink tongue jutting out of her mouth. Perhaps she was pinching her cheeks too hard and crossing her eyes was causing an ache in her head, but it was worth it to hear her mother laugh._

 _"Quit making faces in the mirror," Layla chuckled, petting her daughter's head. Still, the little girl proceeded to pull another strange expression. "Your face is going to stay stuck like that if you keep making faces."_

 _Horror overtook Lucy's features as they reverted back to normal. She was only six, there in her mother's lap, with her doll settled into her own lap. "Really?! I don't want my face to get stuck!"_

 _Layla leaned in, a teasing grin pulling at her lips. "It'll only get stuck if you keep making silly faces." Then she stood, setting Lucy down and at the same time reaching her hand out for the little girl to take. "Come on, Lucy. We're having guests for dinner."_

 _Lucy watched her mother's face; she watched the warm smile, the sparkling eyes, all the familiar things that she missed._

 _"Lucy._

 _"Lucy._

"Yo, Lucy." Once she zoned back into reality, the first thing she noticed was Natsu's hand being frantically waved in front of her face, and then the slightly panicked expression he wore. He almost looked worried. "Did you get lost in Lu-Lu-Land or something?"

"Sorry," she sighed, rubbing her cheek. Although they still had plenty of time for lunch, she could not stay there. "I need some fresh air."

So she went to get some. Gathering her things, she slung her bag over her shoulder and walked away, leaving behind a dumbfounded Natsu and half of her lunch.

The outside was chilly, frosty wind biting at her skin and causing her hair to whip mercilessly at the air. In spite of the temperature and the relentless gales, the sky was a clean slate of blue, not a single cloud to be seen.

 _Lucy sat at her vanity a few years later, one of the house workers brushing her hair out. "I always say it, Miss Lucy, but you have beautiful hair."_

 _"Thank you," she hummed, kicking her legs back and forth. Her feet, after all these years, would still not reach the ground when she sat in her mother's chair. Even though she seemed fine, her mood was obvious in her eyes._

 _"Don't worry about Mr. Jude," reassured the old woman - the nanny, she was, Miss Zapetto - patting Lucy's shoulders. "He loves you very much. Work has just been very stressful for him, so we need to cut him a break!"_

 _"Do you think..." Lucy started, meeting Miss Zapetto's eyes in the mirror. "...that Daddy's face got stuck like that because he frowned so much after Mommy went away?"_

 _Miss Zapetto's cheerful expression was replaced with one of regret and sorrow - a face Lucy would never forget._

She was so lost in her thoughts that she did not notice someone walking in her direction - someone else who was lost, but in a book. Neither of them were paying until until it was too late - until Lucy was sprawled face-down on the ground and the other person had land flat on his back next to her.

"Ow..." she whined, head lifted. Her arms, stretched out before her, had reaction too late, so unfortunately for her, her fall was not cushioned by anything. However, she could not care less when something else caught her attention. "Huh?"

"I'm so sorry." The man apologizing was now sitting up, blue bangs in disarray and an odd red marking on his face. He grabbed his book and immediately scooted back, startled by the blonde suddenly leaning towards him.

"You're reading _The Keys_ series?" The excitement on her face was pure and genuine and she could only watch as his face morphed into a similar expression.

"I'm _rereading_ it," he responded, standing up and helping her up along with him. "It's probably one of my favorite series."

"It's gotta be my favorite!" Lucy gushed. She was completely different from the person she was a few minutes prior. "I got the _whole_ series for my birthday a few years ago and I've read it a billion times since! Oh-I'm Lucy, by the way!"

"You're the newest student, right?" he questioned, although it was more rhetorical; most people knew her name by then. "I'm Jellal. I'm pretty sure we have first period together, although I've been out of town for the last week."

"That's good to know! I haven't really been paying attention to who's in my classes lately because I've been kinda busy..." With a sheepish laugh, she rubbed the back of her neck. "What, um, _house_ are you a part of?"

He laughed quietly. "I'm in Fairy Tail, like you."

There were practically stars in her eyes and he watched her smile widen. "You're part of Fairy Tail?!" she questioned, although her tone was oddly honeyed, and he nodded. "I'm captain of the team for the upcoming competition! You should join!" The bell rang and her eyes widened. _I'm gonna be late._ "There's a meeting tonight in the B Gym at five, and then dinner's on me! You should come! I have to go! See you around, Jellal!"

* * *

As it was, five o'clock rolled around and Lucy remained alone in the gym. She passed time by serving a cart-full of volleyballs, but even that could not distract her from the fact that by five-thirty, she was still alone.

 _I feel like such an idiot._ She had truly convinced herself, as she got dressed in proper gym attire, that other people would find it in their hearts to participate and that they would show up - even if it was for the dinner. In all honesty, she felt like crying, but she sucked in a deep breath; if nobody else wanted to take part, she would win for Fairy Tail by herself.

Well, she would win alongside Erza, who had previously informed her of her tardiness.

"Stupid class," she muttered, serving a ball. It smacked loudly against the gym floor, bouncing against the wall and then rolling to a stop. "I'll just do it all by myself."

Throwing the ball into the air, she tried to serve it again, but - despite the fact that she was good at volleyball - it came into contact with the wrong part of her hand and was sent soaring across the room.

"Whoa~" snickered a familiar voice. "You've got a wicked serve."

The volleyball was held in between two hands against a chest - the chest belonging to Bickslow, who was grinning at her. Next to him stood Laxus, and behind them were Evergreen and Freed.

"Laxus saw your poster and there's was no way we were gonna argue," Bickslow practically cackled, lazily dribbling the volleyball on the ground. "Plus, it'd be pretty cool to be a part of this again, not gonna lie."

"We're here, too!" Levy and Gajeel burst into the gym through a different set of doors, Gajeel pretending to be annoyed while Levy was panting. They had run to the gym. "I'm sorry, Lu! I had to talk to Headmaster Makarov and I didn't even notice the time!"

"Don't forget us!" Mirajane smiled, filing in behind Laxus and his friends. With her were Elfman and Lisanna. "I had a student council meeting."

Other people had come, too, and as the next half-hour passed, everybody began filling up the gym: Juvia, Gray, Jet and Droy, Cana, and other people that Lucy did not even know. Her eyes welled with tears but she smiled, hugging Levy back when her roommate walked up and embraced her. Everyone was divided into their own little cliques, but Lucy did not mind; they all had someone on whom they could depend.

After everybody was settled in and she was sure that nobody else would show up, Lucy stood on a folding chair in front of everybody. Gajeel whistled to gather everybody's attention (mostly because Lucy could not whistle) and Lucy smiled widely. "First of all, thank you for coming! For those of you who don't know me, which is kind of doubtful, I'm Lucy and I'm kind of new here. That aside, I was told that Fairy Tail hasn't won a competition in years - in fact, we've come in dead last every single year."

Everybody either grimaced or glanced around sheepishly, and Lucy took a pause to glance around the crowd - but then her attention was grabbed by the door. Someone was trying to be stealthy on their way inside, but from her point of view, they were anything but. It was Natsu.

She felt her smile widen. "But that's going to change. This year, we're going to take first in all of them!"

Everything went dead silent and all Lucy received was blank stares. Mortification and embarrassment caused heat to creep up the back of her neck; if they did not think they could win, why were they there? _Dinner._

She was pulled out of her thoughts by a single clap, and then another, until Levy was applauding wildly. Others began a slow clap as well until the room broke into a series of claps, hollers, and cheers.

 _"Fairy Tail is coming back!"_

* * *

 ** _Ahh I'm sooo excited to write for this!_**

 **Unfortunately, I can _feel_ the tidal wave of schoolwork shadowing over me just before it crashes, so my updates may not be very frequent/consistent. Weekends are your best bet for an update.**

 **Next weekend, though, I'll be busy on Saturday! I have a formal to go to (for which I'm super excited ^u^) and although I'm one of my only dateless friends, it'll still be fun! I'm hoping for an update next Friday or Sunday, but I can't guarantee anything.**

 **Now i'm off to read/annotate 13 chapters of a book. Peace out.**


	7. Chapter 6-5

**A/N: This had been posted on Tumblr for awhile, but I hadn't gotten around to posting it on here until now. Sorry guys. :(**

* * *

Levy and Lucy sat atop a table that they had dragged into the gymnasium (actually, Erza carried it, but it was all the same to them). They were sorting through all of the papers while everybody else began practice – or, hopefully, at least tried to get along with one another for once – and it was a major hassle; but Lucy's heart felt lighter.

"Are you sure you wanna do volleyball, Lucy?" Levy questioned, widening her eyes. "Not that I'm doubting you, but you'll be surrounded by people the size of mountains." The panicked way in which she whispered elicited a happy laugh from her friend.

"I'm sure," Lucy giggled, waving her off. "I used to play volleyball."

" _All right_ ," Levy hummed, marking the volleyball sheet with a bright red check mark. "I can't believe we have to sign wavers."

Lucy frowned, looking down at the piece of paper in her hands – Laki's waver. "Is it a new thing?" she questioned, folding the corner down instead of marking it since the wavers had to be turned in to the headmaster.

"No, they've been doing since the first competition," Levy sighed, checking off another sheet. "I just think it's insane that these games get so intense that we have to take precautions like this."

Lucy glanced across the gym at the other students of Fairy Tail, pegging each other with soccer balls instead of doing the drills Lucy advised they do. Jet was pegged in the face with a stray volleyball, the offender – Gajeel – snickering with no ill will. "I wish I could say I'm surprised," she muttered, kicking her legs back and forth before setting another waver down.

There was a multitude of papers separating her from Levy, yet somehow, she still managed to be heard. "I understand that Fairy Tail gets into it – or used to," Levy mused, rolling her eyes. "It's just hard to believe that the other classes are just as… _spirited._ "

Lucy organized the stack of papers she had finished filing through and then put them into a folder for safe keeping; everybody present had filled out a waver, so there was no more concern in that area. Levy only had about three sign-up sheets left, and Lucy thanked the heavens that Levy was sweet enough to offer her help. Otherwise, Lucy would have been kept up through the entire night trying to coordinate everything properly.

Levy pinched the bridge of her nose, glaring down at the badminton sign-up sheet. She and Gajeel had partnered up for badminton and they were definitely going to win (she was not sure Gajeel would ever allow himself to be defeated in something like badminton, anyway).

Overall, it was kind of alarming how smoothly their relationship was going. It was only the beginning of it, but there had not been any real quarrels since they started dating; perhaps they had argued enough beforehand that they were given a break. Nonetheless, she was not complaining.

" _Look out!_ " Levy's eyes lifted to see a volleyball hurtling towards her face at an insane speed – one fast enough to knock teeth out – and all she could do was suck in a breath and wait for the pain.

The pain never came.

Lucy had leaped from her spot across the table and deflected the ball away from Levy, effectively and purposely hitting the guilty party in the gut. Gray fell back with an _oof!_ and lay there for a few moments, staring at the ceiling in a daze. Then, "You signed up for volleyball, right?!"

She blinked at him from her spot in front of Levy. "Yeah…!"

"Come on over, then!"

Spinning around, Lucy gave Levy – who had previously been watching her friend's back with a look of mesmerization – a look that the blue-haired girl could not refuse; her eyes were practically sparkling and her entire face was laced with eagerness. "Go ahead! I've only got a few papers left."

In spite of her excitement, Lucy seemed reluctant to leave Levy alone. She rocked back on her heels. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah! You earned it, Lu," Levy nodded, gesturing around. "The only reason this is happening is because of you."

Lucy beamed brightly, "You're the best, Levy!"

* * *

There were eight people signed up for volleyball: six people on the court and two substitutes. Lucy had divided everybody up into two teams to make it fair – it was Laxus, Bickslow, Gray, and herself against Natsu, Erza, Gajeel, and Elfman – and they had drawn quite a crowd. After warming up for a little bit (and doing some other sports that Lucy _insisted_ on, since nobody had been practicing and they all very much needed practice), they had begun to get very into the game, although they were not all on the same wavelength.

Nonetheless, everybody else, exhausted from their fighting practicing, gathering around the volleyball court to watch.

Most of the team had stripped themselves of their shirts. Even Lucy was down to a sports bra, and although she normally would have cared, she was way too focused on the game and way too sweaty to pay it much attention.

"Match point!" called Mirajane cheerfully. She had opted for keeping score instead of practicing soccer with Lisanna. "Laxus's serve!"

Laxus threw the ball into the air, smacking it harshly. Lucy kept her eyes on it as it soared over the net, straight into Erza's bump – then Gajeel set it and Natsu spiked it, but Gray, Lucy's trusty receiver, prevented it from hitting the ground (really, unlike the others, who had to listen to Lucy explain the rules and techniques multiple times, Gray had taken right to the game).

"Bickslow!" Lucy called out, surging forward.

"Got it!"

As Bickslow set the ball for her, Lucy looked in front of her. Natsu was preparing to block her; he had been witness to her merciless spikes and everybody on the court had been surprised (she did play volleyball from kindergarten through her tenth year, though).

They jumped at the same time.

Her eyes never left his as she reached her hand above her, touching the ball and lightly tossing it over his head. She watched as the confident glint morphed into astonishment – the same look she always got whenever she pulled a feint.

The sound of their feet thudding against the floor was shortly followed by the volleyball bouncing against the hard floor of the gym. He stared at her in shock while she just offered a smile, pushing her bangs back and letting out a deep breath.

"Lucy's team wins!" Mirajane exclaimed.

Levy plodded over, offering Lucy her discarded shirt – which Lucy blushed at and quickly put on – and grinning. "I shouldn't have doubted you, huh?"

"It's all right," Lucy giggled, patting Levy on the shoulder. She then turned to the rest of her class: "Let's go out for dinner! My treat!"

* * *

 **Bonus(es):**

 _Juvia swam through the water gracefully and quickly. It all came naturally to her; she was born swimming. Ever since she was a little girl, the water, the ocean, the pool – all of it had been a part of her._

 _As her hands came into contact with the pool wall, she emerged from the water, gasping for breath and greedily gulping down the air. Her goggles were removed and placed on the side of the pool as she climbed out._

 _She wished that Gray could have been there – he had signed up for swimming, after all – but he was busy practicing volleyball. It was a pride thing, he had told her, to crush Natsu (and his team) in whatever game in which they opposed each other, and she knew that there was no convincing him to join her – although she had tried._

 _Juvia imagined herself winning the event and as she surfaced from the water, a hand would reach out to her. Then Gray would pull her into his embrace and congratulate her on her victory (and then perhaps he would kiss her, but that was a different matter altogether)._

 _Sighing dreamily, she dried her hair with a towel, getting lost in her thoughts._

" _Care for another lap or two?"_

 _It was Freed's voice. She inclined her head to look over her shoulder at him, but her eyes nearly bugged out by what she was greeted with: the front side of a speedo, mere centimeters from her face._

 _The surprise sent her falling backwards into the pool._

* * *

" _Looks like we're paired up for badminton," Jellal smiled easily at Mirajane, strolling up to the badminton court with a racket in his hand._

" _Yep!" Mirajane nodded, holding her own racket at her side. She was dressed differently than her usual semi-formal outfits; a black pair of shorts and a blue tank top that matched her eyes, not to mention her bangs were left in her face and her hair was put up. "We're versing Lucy and Erza first."_

 _She did not notice the way he blanched at the second name._

" _Oh," he said simply, shoulders slumping in the slightest._

" _Hey!" Lucy greeted, hands settling on her opponents shoulders as she came up behind them. "Good game, all right?" She was totally,_ definitely _not saying that because her previous game of soccer had caused someone a black eye._

" _Mmhm!" Mirajane chirped, mockingly swinging her racket as Erza joined them. "Jellal and I are going to have a good game, at least!"_

 _Erza quirked an eyebrow. "Are you implying that Lucy and I will not?"_

" _That depends on if you're sore losers," Mirajane replied smoothly, not missing a beat with her unfaltering smile._

" _I guess we'll just see who the losers are," Erza grinned._

 _Lucy stepped closer to Jellal. "Sca~ry," she murmured under her breath before offering a thankful smile to Jellal. "I wasn't sure you'd show up! Thanks for coming!"_

" _It's no problem," Jellal assured her, rubbing the back of his neck. "It's a good thing you're doing. I–"_

" _C'mon, Lucy!" Erza ordered, hooking a hand around the blonde's elbow to drag her to the opposite side of the net. "Hello, Jellal." The kind smile she sent him made his heart skip a beat._

" _Erza," he nodded nonchalantly. "Let's have a good game."_

* * *

 **Okay, haha, this was longer than expected! Anyways, for clarification, here are the participants in each event! The events will be announced in Part 7 as well. NOTE: THESE ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE IF NECESSARY. Also, I am well aware that I have not introduced all of the characters; all in good time, my friends.**

 ** _Soccer (Football):_**

 _Lucy, Gray, Natsu, Erza, Juvia, Jet, Gajeel, Levy, Evergreen, Mirajane, Elfman, Lisanna_

 ** _Roller Skating:_**

 _Levy, Lucy, Laki, Kinana, Droy_

 ** _Swimming:_**

 _Juvia, Gray, Natsu, Jet, Droy, Freed_

 ** _Track:_**

 _Jet, Droy, Natsu, Erza, Gajeel, Cana_

 ** _American Football:_**

 _Elfman, Laxus, Gajeel, Natsu, Erza, Mirajane, Cana, Gray, Bickslow, Romeo, Freed_

 ** _Badminton:_**

 _Lucy & Erza, Gajeel & Levy, Jella & Mirajane_

 ** _Wrestling:_**

 _Natsu, Gray, Elfman_

 ** _Basketball:_**

 _Bickslow, Elfman, Gray, Evergreen, Lisanna_

 ** _Volleyball:_**

 _Lucy, Laxus, Gajeel, Bickslow, Elfman, Gray (Subs: Natsu and Erza)_

 ** _Laser Capture-the-Flag (this will be explained more later):_**

 _Lucy, Natsu, Erza, Gray, Levy, Wendy, Bisca, Alzack, Mirajane, Jet, Bickslow, Freed, Evergreen, Warren, Lisanna, Jellal, Gajeel, Cana, Laxus, Max_


	8. Author's Note

_**(Warning: Death Mention)**_

Hi guys. Obviously I haven't updated in awhile, and I'm sorry for that, but I don't think I'm gonna update again for a while (a mini hiatus on this story, I guess).

For those of you who follow me on Tumblr (theblushofdawn), you might've already heard. Less than a month ago, my stepmom (pretty much my real mom) unexpectedly died. I'm not going to disclose the circumstances, but it was unanticipated and threw my entire family off. She was a mother of eight children, step-children included, so it's been pretty tough on us, and we're trying to figure out how to get back into the motion of everything. I missed a week and a half of school prior to Winter Break (meaning I haven't been to school in three weeks), so I'm going to have a huge workload to make up, along with a giant research paper and multiple tests - even with the leniency granted by my teachers.

So bear with me, please. This is really hard for me, and for my family as a whole. I don't have time to focus on a multi-chapter fic; I barely even post one-shots on my Tumblr right now, too. I just need you guys to understand that I'm not sure when I'll be back on track with _Sonder_ , or with writing in general.

Thank you.

-Lily


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